Fine Gael and Labour will today carry out separate constituency tours in Cork as new figures show them falling further behind the current Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats Government.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny will visit Cork South Wes,t while Labour Party counterpart Pat Rabbitte carries out engagements in Cork East.
Fine Gael's approval rating has dropped by two percentage points to 26 per cent, while Labour's has dipped by four to 11 per cent, according to an Irish Times/TNS Mrbi poll published today.
This comes despite the payments scandal surrounding the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern over the last three weeks. Fianna Fáil's approval rating has soared by eight points to 39 per cent, while Mr Ahern himself has enjoyed a 1 per cent rise in his satisfaction rating, despite 64 per cent of people believing he was wrong to accept payments when minister for finance in the mid-1990s.
The poll was done last Monday and Tuesday among a representative sample of 1,000 voters at 100 sampling points in all the constituencies in the State.
Despite their parties suffering, the satisfaction rating for both Mr Kenny and Mr Rabbitte rose. Mr Kenny's rating has risen by two points to 42 per cent;
Mr Rabbitte is up by seven percentage points to 48 per cent; Green Party leader Trevor Sargent is up eight to 43 per cent; and Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams is up four to 43 per cent.
Mr Kenny's 10-hour itinerary includes visits to Bandon Hospital and walkabouts in Bandon, Clonakilty and Bantry.
Mr Rabbitte's itinerary includes meetings with representatives from Pdforra and the Save Spike Island Committee. The Labour leader will also be given a civic welcome at Cobh Town Hall.
Mr Rabbitte will open the new constituency office of Cork East candidate Councillor John Mulvihill.
Figures for other parties and independents show mixed results, with Sinn Féin down one point to 6 per cent; the PDs at 3 per cent (up 1 point); the
Green Party, 4 per cent (no change); Independents/others, 5 per cent (down three points); and undecided voters, 19 per cent (up two points).
New PD leader Michael McDowell is on 32 per cent compared with the 34 per cent rating for his predecessor, Mary Harney, in the last poll in May.
The two Government parties combined now have a lead of 6 per cent over the alternative coalition of Fine Gael and Labour. Last May the alternative coalition was 7 per cent ahead. If the Greens are included in the Opposition the two sides are level on 43 per cent each.